>>
>> NELSON
>> NELSON GARCIA TALKED WITH TWO DIFFERENT MAYORS ABOUT THE
CHALLENGES OF MOVING DENVER'S
AIRPORT OUT EAST.
>> Reporter: THE REALITY THAT
IS NOW DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT ALMOST REMAINED THE
LAND OF THE PRE-DOG UNTIL A
DREAM TOOK FLIGHT UNDER TWO
FORMER MAYORS.
FORMER MAYORS. >> EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE THERE
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. NO
NOW. NO ONE WANTED TO BE THERE IN
THE BEGINNING.
THE BEGINNING. >> Reporter: WELLINGTON WEBB.
>> NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE
THERE AND THAT IS A GOOD THING.
>> THERE IS A REASON WHY NO
OTHER CITY IN THE COUNTRY HAS
BUILT AN AIRPORT IN THE LAST 25
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. THESE ARE ENORMOUS, COMPLEX
CHALLENGES.
CHALLENGES. >> Reporter: THE FOR THE ICONIC
TERMINAL WAS BUILT, PINA HAD TO
CONVINCE PEOPLE STAPLETON
AIRPORT HAD TO CLOSE BECAUSE OF
AGE AND SIZE.
>> WHENEVER THERE WAS BAD
WEATHER OR BAD VISIBILITY AIR-
TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS WOULD SHUT
DOWN THE AIRPORT.
>> Reporter: HE HAD TO SHOW
DENVER RESIDENTS THAT MOVING
THE AIRPORT IN THE MIDDLE OF
NOWHERE SOLVING NOISE PROBLEMS
--
--
-- >>
-- >> THEY JUST KIND OF --
>> Reporter: AND IT'S TIME TO
PICK UP THE CONVERSATION AGAIN.
>> Reporter: IT WAS A GOOD
IDEA.
IDEA.
IDEA. >>
IDEA. >> I WAS CRITICIZED.
IT WAS CALLED MY FOLLY.
HOW CAN YOU BUILD THIS AIRPORT
20 MILES OUTSIDE OF THE CITY.
THIS IS SHEER FOLLY.
>> Reporter: HE HAD TO GIVE,
GET ADAMS COUNTY VOTERS TO GIVE
UP 50 SQUARE MILES INCREASING
THE SIZE OF DENVER BY 33%.
HE HAD TO PURCHASE PRIVATE LAND
TO BUILD RUNWAYS, FORCING
PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES OF
RETIREMENT.
RETIREMENT. >> I WENT OUT THERE AND SPOKE
TO THE PEOPLE.
IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME.
I FELT LIKE I WAS SPEAKING TO
MY PARENTS.
MY PARENTS. THEY HAD RETIRED THERE.
I HAD TO GIVE THEM THE
INFORMATION THAT WE WERE
EVENTUALLY GOING TO PURCHASE
THEIR LAND AND THEY HAD TO
MOVE.
MOVE.
MOVE. IT
MOVE. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO.
>> Reporter: THEN, HE HAD TO
TURN EVERYTHING OVER TO THE NEW
MAYOR.
MAYOR.
MAYOR. >>
MAYOR. >> IT DID NOT FEEL LIKE MY BABY
BUT I KNEW IT IT WAS IN GOOD
HANDS.
HANDS.
HANDS. >>
HANDS. >> Reporter: HE HAD TO OVERSEE
A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT TIMBER
HAD NEVER SEEN.
>> IT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS
MANY PEOPLE DID NOT TALK ABOUT,
THREE PEOPLE DIED OUT THERE.
>> Reporter: HE HAD TO GET
UNITED AIRLINES TO SECURE THE
DEAL.
DEAL.
DEAL. UNITED ATTACHED A $65 MILLION
CATCH.
CATCH.
CATCH. A
CATCH. A NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART PACKAGE
SYSTEM THAT CAUSED A 16 MONTH
DELAY AND DID NOT WORK AT
FIRST.
FIRST.
FIRST. IT
FIRST. IT UPSET CRITICS AT THE TIME.
>> ALL THEY REMEMBER WAS THE
$65 MILLION CHANGEOVER.
THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WE COULD
NOT PROCEED WITHOUT HAVING
UNITED SIGN ON BOARD.
>> Reporter: WELLINGTON WEBB
HAD TO PUT HIS POLITICAL FUTURE
ON THE LINE.
HE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET
2000 VEHICLES AND ALL OF
STAPLETON'S STAFF OVER TO DIA
FOR THE GRAND OPENING.
>> WHEN I WENT TO BED AND WOKE
UP EARLY AND FOUND OUT IT WAS
SNOWING, MY FIRST RESPONSE WAS
GOD, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO
ME?
ME?
ME? DIA
ME? DIA PROVED ON FEBRUARY 28, 1995
, THAT IT COULD LAND LIKE NO
OTHER AIRPORT IN THE COUNTRY.
THREE AIRCRAFT SIMULTANEOUSLY
IN THE SNOW.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE MR.
SECRETARY.
SECRETARY. >> GOOD MORNING, IT IS.
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU.
THE FIRST FLIGHT TO LAND.
>> Reporter: HE USED LOCALS
INSTEAD OF INTERNATIONAL
CHAINS.
CHAINS.
CHAINS. >> WE GIVE THIS OVER TO LOCAL
BUSINESSES TO HAVE SOME OF THE
CONTRACTS AND SOME OF THE
OPERATIONS.
OPERATIONS. >> Reporter: AS THE NEW AIRPORT
GROUP, HE WORKED TO PUT THE I
IN DIA.
IN DIA.
IN DIA. >> THE MEXICO FLIGHT REPRESENTS
US FLYING INTO, INTO MEXICO
CITY.
CITY.
CITY. THE
CITY. THE BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT WAS
CONTRACT RENEGOTIATED.
CONTRACT RENEGOTIATED. >> Reporter: 25 YEARS LATER,
THE AREA AROUND DIA CONTINUES
TO DEVELOP WITH THE ADDITION OF
THE TRAIN LINE AND MORE AND
MORE COMMUNITIES POPPING UP IN
THE NORTH EMBER AREA.
THEY SAY GROWING THE CITY IS
GOOD AS LONG AS THEY DON'T RE-
CREATE THE NOISE PROBLEMS
NEIGHBORS HAD WITH STAPLETON.
>> WE COULD BUILD UP TO 12
RUNWAYS.
RUNWAYS.
RUNWAYS. NO OTHER CITY IN THE WORLD CAN
BUILD 12 RUNWAYS.
>> Reporter: DAVE BOTH BELIEVE
DIA HAS CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE
OF THE MILE HIGH CITY FOREVER.
>> IT IS NOT ONLY AN ECONOMIC
HUB FOR DENVER, IT IS AN
ECONOMIC HUB FOR THE STATE AND
FOR THE REGION.
>> TODAY, THE AIRPORT HAS A $33
BILLION IMPACT ON OUR ECONOMY.
260,000 PEOPLE ARE DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY EMPLOYED.
INDIRECTLY EMPLOYED. >> Reporter: AS THEY
CONTEMPLATE THE PAST AND LOOK
INTO THE FUTURE --
>> MAYBE 50 YEARS FROM NOW IF
THERE NEEDS TO BE A NEW
SPACEPORT --
SPACEPORT -- >> Reporter: THEY WANT PEOPLE
TO KNOW THIS IS NOT JUST
ANOTHER AIRPORT.
ANOTHER AIRPORT. AND, FOR SO MANY REASONS.
DIA ALMOST NEVER HAPPENED.
>> IT HAS EXCEEDED ANY
EXPECTATIONS A LOT OF